In order to secure small valuable or essential items such as credit cards, money, or cell phones, women have often chosen to carry them in a place hidden from view, generally under some article of clothing. A particularly inaccessible (to a prospective thief) and secure place, and therefore one chosen by many women, is inside an undergarment such as a brassiere. There have been many holders designed to be attached or otherwise be secured to brassieres, and to hold small items. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,441, issued Nov. 12, 1996, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,613, issued Nov. 20, 2001 describe two different pouches, each of which is positioned in the center between the two cups of a bra and attached to the connecting region between the two cups. US Patent Publication No. US 2006/0121826, published Jun. 8, 2006, describes a brassiere incorporating a pouch, which may be detachable, either positioned on the side connecting region between the bra cups and the back fastener, or positioned on one of the over-the shoulder bra straps.
There are some disadvantages to the currently available designs. First of all, in most cases there is only one layer of security: if there is a malfunction or breach of the security pocket, there is nothing to stop the items enclosed from dropping or being lost. Secondly, aesthetically there is likely to be noticeable bulging since the pockets and the items secured within are generally positioned in places where the bra would not otherwise be. A safer, more discreet, and more aesthetic security pouch would be a useful improvement.